Ana's Book: the Wind in the Hall
by Dorante243
Summary: Trisana is assuming the name Ana and heading to Lightsbridge. She just wants to be a normal commonplace mage, just wants to help people. Will she ever get what she wants?
1. a note & a Charm in a Bowl

Greetings and salutations!

If you have not noticed yet, this first section is a note from the author- if you are uninterested desist reading here and continue to the next section, I promise not to be offended.

This piece of fanfiction was inspired by my love of Trisinna Chandler and her determination to be a useful, _commonplace_ mage. The first scene I ever conceived (but never really made it in) goes something like this:

)O(

Tris walked into class as if nothing ever happened, as if she hadn't just manipulated the power of the elements yesterday and no one knew that she was, in fact, one of _those four_. Of course, the room did not reflect her attitude; she had barely taken her seat in the uncanny hush before the professor spoke.

"Trisana Chandler. How good of you to grace us with your presence." Master Clearwater said sarcastically.

"I believe the name on my accreditation will be Ana, Master Clearwater." Tris channeled Sandry vehemently.

"I find myself wondering why such an acclaimed Mage," he said the word clearly stating what he thought of sixteen year old girls with such a title, "would be in my class."

"Perhaps to learn charms?" Tris was getting annoyed.

"You can blow a hole in a pirate armada!"

"That has little to do with charms," She still had a headache and didn't want to deal with him.

"PIRATE ARMADA!" Clearwater had stomped to her desk and loomed over her. What need did she have of a charm in a bowl when she could explode a fleet of bloodthirsty men?

"Oh sure," Tris was now upset, she hated people who loomed. "I can kill thousands and feel like overcooked noodles for a week, but I still can't put a simple purity charm in a good-for-nothing bowl." Tris had gotten to her feet and shoved the bowl into the professor's chest, Clearwater looked mildly surprised. "Tell me professor, if you had a choice to create charms, potions and such to _help_ people" Tris poked his chest, Sparks flying in her hair as she finally let go of all of her pent up anger, "or to facilitate natural_ disasters, _to kill hundreds of people, and be haunted by their bodies- which would you choose?" The professor stood stunned, scowling at the bowl he still held to his chest, "Well, _Master_ Clearwater?"

Clearwater finally looked the intimidating sixteen year old in the eyes and was finally struck by the fact that this small frumpy girl had blown a hole in a pirate armada at thirteen. _Thirteen_. At thirteen he was complaining about mathematics homework to his mother. He cleared his throat.

"Well, if you have any hopes of mastering a purity charm you'll have to hang on to your bowl." He placed the bowl on her desk and walked back to his place at the front of the room. "Do keep a better hold on your tools, Ana, I would hate for lack of supplies to hinder your education." Looking back at the girl he saw what could only be considered a satisfied smirk on her face as she once again took her seat.

)O(

Ah Tris, I write you so poorly. I'm afraid my Tris will have developed a sarcastic streak from "Kethlun's bad influence", shall we say. Anyways, I love the thought of strange little Tris defending her decision to become a "common" mage to all those who wish they had her sheer power. I think Doctor Who says it best when he noted, "Do you know, in nine hundred years of time and space I've never met anyone who wasn't important before."

Speaking of quotes, Tamora Pierce once wrote, "As for reading fanfics, I must abstain, politely. There's the time factor, for one, as in, I don't have any. More importantly, though, sometimes in the heat of the battle with a book, we grab any idea that surfaces, without necessarily knowing where it came from. I've since gone back to find things I've fitted to my use in books and movies I read years ago. I can't take the chance that someone else's ideas might enter the stew where my creativity happens, to surface years later: that's how writers get sued for copyright infringement/theft. It's nothing against fanfics or their writers, and everything to do with me covering my behind."

On that note, Pierce is very wise. I have read a few circle fanfictions, and by my estimates, I have read almost all the Tris-at-Lightsbridge fanfiction. Considering I am horrible with naming characters, I may make blatant, unintentional references. *sorry* if I know I'm stealing something, I'll at least try to direct people to your story. If you don't like it, message me and I'll rework the infringement.

Alas, onwards and upwards!

~Durante~


	2. Colour

Welcome to the Adventure

)O(

Trisana Chandler knew she looked ten if she looked a day, which infuriated her to no end. In reality she was 'just sixteen' but she didn't feel like one of those sixteen year olds who knew everything when they really knew nothing. She knew she had knowledge, what she did she did very well, and shurri defend us, if people didn't stop treating her like a ten year old she was going to lose her temper. Again.

"That's a mighty expensive mage tool, girly," The shop keep danced nervously around her, not wanting to insult her by taking it away, but clearly telling her he wished she'd put it down. "The high and mighty mages use it for transforming and storing power, and that's a twenty faucet stone ya got there. reeeaaally special. I'd appreciate it if…" His hand reaching for the finely crafted Onyx in Tris' hand was the last straw.

Tris had been practicing strict control, she couldn't have lighting dancing in her hair at any ol' time. But she figured part of control wasn't just suppression, but actual control. Glaring at the man's hand she allowed angry sparks to flow down just the two braids framing her face. They quickly danced onto her glasses frames, she was sure she looked fearsome.

The man's hand retreated. Quickly.

"I am aware of this stone's unique properties, mister…" Tris glared at the shop keep who had lost all ability to speak; instead he was staring at the lighting playing in her braids. With a roll of her eyes Tris reigned in her anger, well, at least enough to diffuse the lightening. _Its not his fault if I look young,_ she thought charitably. She was trying to be nicer to people, its what Sandry would have said, _but the man could really use some manners. Hmph! _Looking at the man in question, she found he had backed away a few steps and was staring.

_Terrorizing shop keeps again, eh Coppercurls?_ Briar commented from her mind, she felt him in the garden weeding.

Tris rolled her eyes at Briar this time. Setting down the Onyx stone with some regret. It was obvious she wasn't going to be able to deal with this store. A pity, she had found some books she wanted as well.

"Well, with red hair, books and lightening you must be Mage Trisana Chandler. One of the four, No?" A girl, perhaps twelve, approached from around a shelf leaving behind a broom propped up against the wall. She nodded her head to Tris in a respectful greeting.

"and you are?"

"Perinna Gurnam, at your service Miss'. Can I help you find anything?" Perinna smiled broadly and openly, without showing fear of Tris, which was unusual. Though clean, her cloths had the look of being worn too often, and her young hands were cracked from prolonged exposure to water.

"Yes, I'm looking for…"

"Peri, you're a cleaning girl, so clean." The shop keep lashed out at the girl.

"Yes master Jako." She mumbled, flopped a quick cursy and scurried off.

It appeared the keep, Jako, had regained words, "Mage Chandler, how good for you to grace me and my humble shop," he was all sweets and butter now, "I have some artifacts over here you could be interested in…" The man quickly put himself between her and Perinna, pointing at a case of hideously overpriced glass baubles. Tris decided she really disliked this man.

"Excuse me, I was speaking with Perinna." She said with clenched teeth.

"Forgive me." Jako laughed a little nervously, backing up a step. "She's just a cleaning girl, sweeps, dusts, so on. We don't even allow her to touch the counter, you know?"

"Of course, wouldn't want her to steal anything." Tris said exasperated.

The man sighed, relieved she agreed, "Exactly, so glad you understand. Now, why don't we go in the back and look at some of the reserved components?"

Tris took four deep breaths to calm herself, four more when she saw Perinna practically hiding from Jako in the corner she'd scurried off to. She took four more when she saw the switch marks on the back of Perinna's legs, and gave up the breathing when she realized the man had been playing with a switch when she walked in. Tris was an observant person, she saw that the shop was clean enough for her evil Aunt's high standards, and though well worn, Perinna was well groomed and took pride in her appearance. Tris knew what street rats looked like; gods knew she'd meet enough of them. This girl would no more steal from a dog much less from a high-end magical shop.

"Perinna." Tris called startling a squeak out of the girl in question. "Just how much do they pay you?"

"Pay me?" Perinna looked surprised.

"Yes, pay you. I don't like repeating myself."

"Well, ah… see, naught, miss. But they put cloths on my back and roof over my head and that's a lot, ever since father died…" Perinna studied her feet.

"You're an orphan?" Perian nodded. It happened often enough, older children at orphanages were 'adopted' by businesses to be worked as servants until they came of age. They were often treated as little more than slaves, Tris guessed the only reason Perinna's cloths were obviously so nice at one point was because they wanted her presentable enough to pass muster in the shop. Tris sighed, first a starling, then a dog, a glass dragon and a child, if Tris adopted this stray, a full blown girl, then there really would be no end to Briar's teasing.

"Sorry Miss Chandler, but is there something I can help you find? Perinna was just about to go clean out the chamber pots in the back." Jako's glare said there had been no such plan before, but he was punishing her. For what? Talking to Tris?

With that sparks flew in Tris' hair, completely unintentionally but she hardly cared. The man was retreating with his hands up.

"Miss chandler please, we've got some delicate…"

"Still your tongue." As an after thought she added, "Please." Tris may be sparking but at least she had manners, and there was that whole trying to be nicer to people thing. The man ran. She was startled out of her anger by a giggle, Perinna staring at her hair. Tris was puzzled to note the girl seemed amused. "You aren't afraid?"

"Oh I've got healthy respect miss," her eyes wide, keeping a healthy distance, "but its only teeny lightening. Hasn't even left your head yet." Perinna giggled more as the lightening traced along Tris' glasses, the living metal made such a good conductive surface. What may have been a slow smile crept onto Tris' face.

"huh, well." An idea occurred to Tris, "I'm currently looking for a housekeeper for a house full of Mages. Strange mages. You would get room, board, and a stipend. In return, you cook, clean and make sure the stubborn fools remember to eat and sleep. What do you think, Perinna?"

She seemed to think it over, "They all make lightening?"

"Nope, that's just me. You've heard of my siblings?" The girl nodded affirmative, an excited twinkle in her eye. "One's a metal mage, she works as a blacksmith, the other is a green mage, if he asks, tell him your not there for weeding." She tried to give a friendly smile; it must have looked something like a smile because the girl smiled back.

"I'll go gather my things." Perinna hurried to the back, "oh. But the masters, Jako…"

"I'll deal with him." Tris turned to the counter and rang the bell. Jako appeared quickly, he must have been waiting, and eavesdropping. "How much for this onyx?"

"Ain't for sale and neither is the help." He looked mad, but kept the counter in-between him and Tris. _As if that would save him,_ she thought. Tris weighed the onyx in her hand. It really was a rare piece of stone, twenty-faucet onyx was hard to find.

"Tell you what. This here's probably worth a few astrels short of a gold maja, so I'll give you two gold majas and I wont report you to the provost, but I get to leave here with this stone, those books and the nice girl in my care." It wasn't a question, and Tris wasn't asking.

"Ain't for sale." The man said, reaching out for the rock, but not daring to actually touch her. Now what? Tris could threaten his life or the shop property with her powers, she could threaten him with her relationship to Sandry, or even the Duke, but that was all destructive, violent coercion. Tris was tired of violence.

With a deep sigh she felt her anger seep away like snow melt. What did one trade for a little girl's freedom? She was reminded of all the things her teachers had done. Perinna may have had no magic, but in the span of five minutes Tris had become her protector. Cat dirt.

From her bag she drew a strangely knotted yellow and blue line, a northwesterly wind tied into the string. As soon as she revealed it, the shopkeeper gasped, the onyx may have been rare, but a knotted wind was rarer. Few regular old people had use for onyx, but one didn't have to be a mage to utilize this prize. She knew she held something he wanted dearly, so Tris leaned over and pointed at some interesting colouring agents, "Throw handfuls of each of those into the deal as well." Quickly Jako measured out the agents, wrapped the Onyx and books, his eyes kept traveling back to the knot as he impatiently waited for Preiann to comeback.

)O(

Hope you enjoyed this beginning, add another stray to the collection! Don't worry, Perinna doesn't become a fifth member of the circle, just a curious bystander to add humor!

~Durante~


End file.
